Beyond DLSS 2.0 -- Version 2.2.9.0 Ultra Quality Mode In The Works

Thanks to a leak on Reddit, it appears that Nvidia is actively working on its DLSS technology far beyond the 2.0 version. The latest iteration of Unreal Engine 5's 2.2.9.0 DLSS plugin shows a new "Ultra Quality" model being developed by Nvidia. But for now, the list seems to be a placeholder for future updates, and is not visible publically.

We're not sure what specific resolutions or quality upgrades Ultra Quality mode will have so we can only speculate for now. With current DLSS iterations, the Quality mode will run at an internal resolution of just 45% of your native resolution, then reconstruct that image back to native.

What's interesting is that Nvidia appears to be making a bunch of small updates to DLSS now, instead of big jumps like DLSS 1.0 was to 2.0. There have already been several versions of DLSS 2.1 and 2.2 which have already made their way into games such as DOOM Eternal (DLSS 2.1.6.6), Rainbow Six Siege (DLSS 2.2.6), and Lego Builder's Journey (DLSS 2.2.6).

To compare these versions, Alexander Battaglia on Twitter shared images showcasing DLSS 2.1.6.6, DLSS 2.2.6, and DLSS 2.2.9.0 all running in Doom Eternal, thanks to modifying the DLSS files in the game.

Looking at the image closely, there is a noticeable difference in image quality between 2.1.6.6 and 2.2.6, where there is significantly less blurring of the astroids in 2.2.6. However, comparing 2.2.6 to 2.2.9 yields no noticeable quality enhancements. We suspect version 2.2.9 is specifically designed around the Ultra Quality mode for testing purposes only, which is not available yet for end-users to play with.

So it appears that DLSS 2.1 and 2.2 were just minor optimizations to DLSS's image quality, but DLSS 2.2.9.0 is the first major update we've seen over 2.0 where we see an actual feature update to the reconstruction algorithm. Hopefully, Nvidia and game developers can figure out a way to make updating DLSS patches super easy, so all DLSS titles can take advantage of newer optimizations and features of the technology.